Tractor attachment for broadcast seeders



May 21, 1935.

C. A. HITCHCOCK TRACTOR ATTACHMENT FOR BROADCAST SEEDERS Filed July 28, 1953 2- Sheets-Sheetv 1 jZ/uE/vraz 6710424155 6 Mrmcocx May 21, 1935. c A. HITCHCOCK TRACTOR ATTACHMENT FOR BROADCAST SEEDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 28, 1933 I jwqvme qrraewfy Janene; dz 5% Patented May 21, 1935 I h a UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE 2,002,179 TRACTOR nr'rnommm' roa naoanoasr SEEDEBS :Charles A. Hitchcock, Pana, Ill.

Application July 28, 1933, Serial No. 682,647

, 1 Claim. (Cl. 74-15) My invention relates generally to improve- Figure 7 is a plan view of another form of spoke ments in agricultural implements and more parclamp, showing a wheel spoke and spider arm in ticularly to a broadcast seeder attachment for cross section. tractors. Referring now with more particularity to the The main object of the invention is to provide drawings the reference character A designates a 5 a means whereby a conventional broadcast seeder tractor including the chassis B, rear drive wheels box may be mounted on a tractor and driven by C, and fenders D and E designate a conventional one of the drive wheels thereof to plant any form elongated rectangular and downwardly tapering of seed immediately back of the tractor and in broadcast seeder box having the lid G and the 10 front of a disk or other covering element drawn agitator shaft H carrying paddles I adapted to 10 V by the tractor. One man may thus plant and force the seed out through the seed openings J. cover the'seed in one operation and no seed is These elements are all of conventional form and left exposed due to differences in the speed and no invention therefor is claimed herein. work'of the seeder and disk as commonly occurs In accordance with my invention hanger or when these two are driven separately. supporting traps or brackets l are secured by 15 Another object is to provide a support for the 'bolts 2 to the inner sides and rear portions of seeder box on the tractor and a driving means for the fenders D or to frame of tractor and extend the agitators in said box, this driving means comrearwardly therefrom and are twisted through prising a shaft extended laterally from one tracan arc of ninety degrees so as to present horitor wheelin axial alignment therewith, a sleeve zontal tangs 3 adapted to support the seeder box 20 journaled on this shaft and carrying an adjust- E to which they are secured by bolts 4, the said 'able sprocket wheel connected by a sprocket chainbox being h Supported a ros h rear of the to the seed box agitators, and a clutch adapted tractor immediately back of the. fenders. The to connect the said sleeve rigidly tothe shaft seeder box is supported of course clear of the when the seeder is in use or to disconnect the usual draw bar F of the tractor so that any disk, 25 sleeve when the seeder is. not in use. plow or other implement may be hitched to the A further object is to provide a novel and eflitractor and drawn along behind the seeder if decient means for attaching a shaft to the tractor sired. The length of the usual seeder box is such I wheel as described and properly centering said that it will when mounted as described extend at shaft in axial alignment with the-wheel and its its ends beyond the sides of the tractor for some 30 axle. distanceas shown.

with the foregoing and other objects in view A Wh l Sp r 5 s p ov d including s 5 my invention resides in the novel construction radially extended from a central huh I and apand arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth ertured near their ends at 8 whereby they may be and claimed, reference being had to the accomsecured by screws or bolts 9 to one of the tractor 35 partying drawings wherein: wheels C, these wheels being as shown in Figures Figure 1 is a-side elevation of the rear portion 2 and 3 0f the s yp having a Solid of atrac'tor showing my inventionapplied thereto. l We or disk K which may be ly p Figur2 is a plan view of the structure in Figtured and tapped as at Hi to receive the said 40 ure 1, a part of one tractor wheel being shown in mounting screws 9. The arms 5 are bent or 40 section and a partof the seeder box to broke curved outwardly toward the hub I so as to supaway. j port this hub outwardly of the tractor wheel Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section hub and axle and the two hubs may be brought through the operating sleeve, wheel spider, clutch into axial alignm nt by p p y l a t and sprocket wheel and a fragment of the tra tor I screws 9 in the wheel. To compensate for minor 45 wheel. errors in locating these bolts the clearance ap- Figure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 ln'Figertures 8 in the arms 6 are made considerably ure 3. larger than the screws so that the arms and Figure 5 is a side elevation of atractor wheel Spider y h pp about on the Wheel and of the type using spokes and showing a modified then a y Secured in the proper position y 50 form of wheel spider'for attachmenttothe spokes. a ge' Washers ll Placed under the screw Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of one heads and overlying the arms around the aperof the spoke clamps formed on the spider arm tures. as shown in Figure 5, a part of one wheel spoke A shaft I2 is rigidly mounted as by a pin IS in being shown in dotted lines. the spider hub 1 and extends outwardly there- 55 and caused to rotate with the shaft I2.

from a distance at least equal to the lateral projection of the seed box E and shaft H on that side and as the tractor wheel supporting this shaft rotates in the normal travel of the tractor this shaft is of course rotated. Proper positioning of the spider 5 as described causes this shaft l2 to rotate evenly on its axis and prevents any wobbling or oscillation as would be the case were it off center. An elongated sleeve I4 is journaled freely on the shaft l2 and is of such length as to extend from the outer end thereof inwardly and terminate a short distance from the hub I. The outer end of the sleeve I4 rests against a diametrically enlarged head l5 formed on the outer end of the shaft l2 and at its inner end the sleeve is provided with angularly cut clutch teeth IS. A clutch collar or sleeve I1 is slidably keyed as at [8 on the shaft 12 between the sleeve l4 and hub l and is normally urged outward on the shaft toward the sleeve by an expansion coil spring l9 coiled around the shaft and braced between the hub and clutch collar. At its outer end the clutch collar has mating or complementary clutch teeth 20 adapted to normally mesh with the teeth "5 on the sleeve l4 whereby said sleeve is locked to Said clutch collar I! also has an annular raceway or groove 2| around its outer periphery in which pins 22 on the ends of a shifter fork 23 may play as the clutch rotates, said fork 23 being formed at the end of a control lever 24 extended upward and inward alongside the fender to a point convenient to the driver's seat and being fulcrumed intermediate its ends between brackets 25 secured to said fender as shown in Figure l.

A sprocket wheel 26 is mounted by a set screw 21 through its hub 28 on the sleeve i4 and a sprocket chain 29 is trained over this wheel and another 30 mounted .on the extended end of the seed box agitator shaft H.

In use the seed (not shown) is placed in the seed box E and the disk or plow (also not shown) is connected in usual manner to the drawbar F. The tractor being then set in motion over the field the agitator shaft H is rotated by shaft l2 and through the sprockets 2B and 30 and chain 29 as will be readily understood and the seed is thus discharged through the openings J onto the ground. The following disk or plow then covers the seed in the usual manner and it will be apparent that by this arrangement all the seed planted will be immediately covered and no seed will be left exposed should it be necessary to stop before the field is planted as is the case where the seeder and disk are separately driven. Also one man and one tractor perform the same operations as required two men and tractors or two men, one tractor and one team at present. When the operation of the seed box is not desired as for instance when the tractor is in reverse or moving from field to field the driver simply pushes outward on the upper end of the control lever 24 slipping the clutch collar ll inward on the shaft l2,- disengaging the clutch teeth l6 and 20 and allowing the shaft to turn freely within the sleeve l4 without operation thereof. Upon releasing the lever 24 the spring l9 returns the clutch to normal engaged position. The same assembly of shaft l2, sleeve l4, clutch l1 and sprocket 26 may be used to drive other forms ofseeders or other attachments for the tractor as will be understood.

The sprocket 26 may be adiusted inwardly or outwardly on the sleeve H by means of the set screw 21 so as to properly align it with the sprocket 30 as will be apparent.

Where instead of disk wheels the tractor has spoked wheels (Figure 5) it may not be desirable to bore the mounting holes for the spider mounting screws 9 described and in this case the spider arm's 6a may be attached to the spokes L by clamps fitting around the spokes. As one construction (Figures 5 and 6) the ends of the arms Ba may be bent and formed at their outer ends to form clamp legs 3i and 32 joined by a bight 33 making up U-shaped clamps adapted to receive the wheel spokes L as shown... The legs 3i and 32 have aligned bolt apertures 34 through which clamp bolts 35 are placed and drawn up to clamp these legs tightly on the spokes as will be readily understood. Or in lieu of these integrally formed clamps separate U-shaped clamps 36 (Figure 7 may be employed comprising the legs 31 and 38 and connecting bights 39. The legs 31 and 38 are set astraddle or around the spokes L and spider arms 5a and are then drawn tight thereon by clamp bolts 40 exactly as in the case of the integrally formed legs. Obviously either form of clamp may be used and the arms 6a so arranged as to fit all kinds of tractor wheels and the clamps have sufficient'play to permit the slight adjustment of the spider necessary to bring the shaft 12 into axial alignment with its supporting wheel.

If desired the pin l3 may be made removable to permit the shaft l2 and associated parts to be removed from the tractor wheel when desired without removing the spider 5.

It is thought that further details of the utility and operation of my invention will be apparent and while I have herein set forth certain preferred embodiments of my invention it is understood that I may vary from the same in minor structural details so as best to construct a practical device for the purposes intended, not departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a device of the kind described, a wheel spider including arms radially extended from a central hub and having means for adjustable attachment to the predetermined outer side of a tractor wheel having a hub, the arms being formed arcuately towards their hub so as to support that hub outwardly of and in axial alignment with the hub of the tractor wheel, a shaft rigidly and axially exteriorly thereof, an expansion coil spring on the inner end of the shaft between the clutch collar and spider hub for normally urging the clutch collar intoengagement with the said sleeve, and a shifter fork engaged by the said race of the clutch collar as means for releasing the clutch from the sleeve.

cmmnns A. nrrcncocx.

extended from the hub of the spider the same 

